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Kaplan: Acta arrives to meet with Cubs

The Cubs are kicking their managerial search into gear as they await word on whether or not their top candidate, New York Yankees manager Joe Girardi will spurn the Yankees' new contract offer to discuss a move to Chicago. Sources have confirmed that former Indians and Nationals skipper Manny Acta is in Chicago today to meet with Theo Epstein and Jed Hoyer.

Acta is considered to be a very bright baseball man, but his lack of success with two different teams has to be considered a major stumbling block to him eventually getting the Cubs' job after the public pursuit of the high-profile Girardi has raised the fan base’s hopes for a major hire. Acta has a 372-518 record between his time in Cleveland and Washington.

In addition, the Cubs have already met with former Arizona manager A.J. Hinch, who had an unsuccessful run with the Diamondbacks but is considered to be another very intelligent baseball mind by many around the game. Hinch compiled an record 89-123 record in 212 games as the Arizona manager and is now the vice president and assistant general manager of the San Diego Padres, a position he has held since 2010.

Another candidate for the Cubs' opening is Padres bench coach Rick Renteria, who is a highly-respected coach, but has only minor-league managerial experience. He has been in coaching and player development since he retired as a player in 1994 and started his managerial career in the Florida Marlins' system in 1998. He moved from the Marlins to the Padres' organization in 2003 and joined San Diego's major league coaching staff in 2008 and was named their bench coach in 2011.

Epstein and Hoyer are expected to continue the interview process in Arizona later this week, and one major-league source confirmed that the Cubs are expected to cast a wide net if Girardi stays in New York.

“The Cubs have a fairly long list of potential candidates and they have to handle it that way if the Girardi thing doesn’t happen,” the scout said.

Additionally, a solid MLB source confirmed this morning that Sandy Alomar Jr. is not a strong candidate for the Cubs' vacancy at this point in the process.

“From what I’ve heard, Alomar is not getting that job," the source said. "He is a good baseball man but he is not in the top group that the Cubs are looking at.”